Smile for Me
by hoshi-chan
Summary: A first fic, SenRu. R & R, don't be too harsh! ^^;; ahh. It's... yaoi.


SenRu Fanfiction.   
R & R, please, but don't flame me (yet?!?),  
gimme a break- this's my first SD fic.   
  
All Standard Disclaimer's apply, they belong to Mr. Takehito Inoue, and all the other cool owners.   
  
*sigh* I've always wanted to say that.  
  
Author's Note: I have no idea when this fic took place.Also, I don't know the manga,   
seeing as Sendoh isn't a hentai here. (is he hentai there??? wah.)  
  
Another Author's Note which has just been added: I've learnt there's no other way to end this the way  
I want it to without turning this yaoi. AhEm, sumimasen those who don't like it, *YAOI*. (I'm warning   
you already.)The first chapter doesn't look it, ne? Sorry sorry, but even I sort of want it out yaoi (^^;;).  
Sorry to the Yaoi haters but lovers of Rukawa and Sendoh.  
  
***  
Smile for me: Chapter #1  
The Inexperienced Viewer  
  
***  
"Game set."  
  
The winner slowly straightened from his after-jump position, taking a portion of   
the top of his shirt to wipe above his mouth.  
  
"I win."  
  
It was a simple statement. A declaraction of what was true. Of what merely was.  
  
But it held much meaning.  
  
"..."  
  
No reply.  
  
"Hey, Kaede-kun,-" Akira Sendoh paused, giving Kaede Rukawa a sideways look.   
"You mind me calling you that?-"  
  
As usal, the tall, lean, figure gave no response.   
  
It was easy to tell that Rukawa had his hard gaze fixed on Sendoh, but that was all.  
The fringe in his jet-black hair covered everything else that one usually saw in   
another's eye- a gleam, a sparkle in the eye, perhaps, or even a crease in the brow  
to determine one's state of mind.  
  
But no.  
  
No emotion was portrayed in that face of his. With or without his fringe, he would   
have a cold mask, with his lips firm and his jaw set, with no smile to decorate his  
painted porcelain face.  
  
"Well then, I'll take it you don't mind," said Sendoh, brightly flashing his usual,   
ever-present smile.  
  
Rukawa gritted his teeth.  
Sendoh seemed not to notice.  
  
His back was turned, and he was walking over to the half-forgotten basketball,   
which lay dejectedly in a far-away corner corner of the three-point area. He   
reached down to pick the lone ball up - the very same object which, a few   
minutes ago, two male aces in the Kanagawa prefecture fought both tooth and   
nail to have and score through the hoop.  
  
With the game over, it held little value.  
  
Sendoh glanced up. By then, Rukawa's slight display of emotion had subsided into  
hi usual cold, calm demeanor.  
  
"Hey, Kaede-kun, d'you wanna grab something to eat?" said Sendoh, flipping the ball  
back and forth in his hand, from right to left.  
  
"You must be hungry after the one-on-one. Well, I certainly am."  
  
Another smile.  
  
"Well, I was thinking, that, maybe, well, you could join me-"  
  
"No." Came the cold, flat reply. Or was it? Maybe there was   
a slight strain in his voice.  
  
...  
  
The smile was still there.  
  
"Ah, alright, then. ^^;;"  
  
He had stopped flipping the ball around. He looked up once more, to see the boy's   
cold gaze still on him. A long, awkward silence followed. His attempts at a   
conversation were failing rapidly.  
...  
  
"Well, I could walk with you home. The sun's starting to set, and soon it'll be dark-"  
  
"No." Came to cold, cutting reply once more, with a little more force than needed.  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
"Ok then."  
  
More silence.  
  
"Will you be here tomorrow?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"So, we *are* getting somewhere! It's 'maybe' now, instead of a flat, deadpan 'no'! ^^ "  
  
"I'll beat you."  
  
"Maa, Now you're sounding like Sakuragi-kun."  
  
(Sakuragi: Ah- Ahh~ CHOO!  
Haruko: daijoubu, Sakuragi-kun? *worried*  
Sakuragi: *hearts* Of course not, Haruko-chan! *strikes a pose* NO cold can stop a   
healthy, macho, not to mention good-looking tensai like me!)   
  
"Don't lower my standards to that do-aho's level." Came the swift, calm reply.  
  
(Sakuragi: Yesirree! Sakuragi the tensai! Nyahahahahah-ah~CHoOo!)  
  
"So you really *are* coming, then."  
It wasn't a question.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Do come," said Sendoh, with his cheerful smile still intact,"so you can beat me and   
become the best basketball player in all of Japan- oh- America, was it?"  
  
Perhaps now it was because of Sendoh's utter cheerfulness which got Rukawa into   
remaining silent. Nevertheless, the piercing blue eyes remained on him.  
  
"Or do you run-away from that, too? Even your 'do-aho' wouldn't lower himself   
to that. But believe me, you two are alike in more ways than one, though you   
will never admit so."  
  
"..."  
  
Rukawa was being taunted, now. The silence was quickly changing from awkward   
to disturbing. And the complete opposite facial expressions the two had on, stuck   
out as rather unsettling. For such comments to go on deaf ears... On Rukawa's ears...  
  
In the end, Sendoh gave up.  
  
"Fulfilling your dream- that's all you ever think about, ne?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"I though so. I'm leaving." The serene gaze had a certain finality to it. Matching it with   
a hardened voice, and taking one last, penetrating look at the silent form, Sendoh began   
to leave, wrapping his left hand around the basketball, and turning his back.  
  
Suddenly, Rukawa reached out and stopped him.  
"Matte."  
  
Sendoh turned around and faced him, no longer with his buoyant smile.  
Their eyes met for the briefest moment.  
  
...  
  
Rukawa lowered his head, his cheeks starting to flush.  
  
"Don't...  
"Don't... patronize me, Akira-san."  
  
He looked up once more at the astonished Sendoh, his cheeks now a faint shade  
of angry red. Rukawa grit his teeth once more, his mumbled voice barely   
audible.  
  
"I'll be there... Sendoh."  
  
A smile greeted his face.  
  
Sendoh moved away from Rukawa's hold, and with two fingers, briefly touched his   
forehead and gestured in mock salute. Rukawa's expressionless face wavered   
slightly.  
  
"And so will I, Kaede-kun."  
  
And he left, leaving the tall, lean figure to ponder by himself, and walk home   
without company.  
  
And, instead of getting their rest, strangely enough, a certain captain of Ryonan highschool   
with hair that stood on end, ever defying gravity,  
  
And a fox-eyed ace of Shohoku highschool,   
  
neither got his share of a fitful sleep.  
  
  
Each seemed to be thinking of tomorrow.  
  
***  
  
I thrive on reviews! Please Review, desu, or desu ka, or de gozaimasu, or deshou ka, or desu kara, or...  
some desu that'll get you to review! onegaishimasu desu! or desu ka! or... 


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